IT'S ALL IN THE TOES

SHOES haven&rsquo;t been this exciting since the glitter platforms of the Seventies. &nbsp;Ranging from gladiators to skyscrapers to espadrilles, there&rsquo;s just about every fabulous colour, heel and fabric imaginable to indulge even the wildest Imelda-esque shoe tastes.<br /><br />Women have always loved buying footwear, probably because your shoe size tends to stay the same whatever your waistband does; and quirky, unusual shoes seem to go on and on until they collapse.<br /><br />Your footwear can make or break your outfit, and yet time and again I see well-dressed people let down by their shoes. Generally people going to the office know that sandals are a no no &ndash; it&rsquo;s not so much the shoes themselves, it&rsquo;s the feet. Our toes and heels are a very personal part of our body, and like our underarms, we don&rsquo;t expose them to our work colleagues unless they are in impeccable form. So when we at last get our toes out they may need serious time and attention.<br /><br />I saw an attractive woman going to a lavish do at the Dorchester recently. She had on a stunning evening dress, fabulous make-up, hair and evening shoes but had forgotten to paint her toenails. How could she possibly have overlooked this simple task? I presume she thought it unnecessary, as eyes would have been on her face and frock &ndash; but I noticed, and I dare say other less trained eyes would have noticed too. It&rsquo;s your toes that make the open-toed shoe, not the other way round. So either treat yourself to a pedicure, or buy some orange sticks and coloured nail varnish and do it yourself. You wouldn&rsquo;t forget your shoes, would you? So don&rsquo;t forget your toes.<br /><br />Sara Hollamby is an image consultant at workingvoices.com: email sara@workingvoices.com